Keeping Our
BY
BALANCE in Stressful Seas
, MD
RICHARD A. SWENSON
can completely destroy our productivity, or
S
negative happening to us, and so we use words such
it can enhance our work performance. Stress
as tension or pressure to describe the experience. But
can be used by God to bless us or used by the evil one
a more accurate understanding of stress relates to the
to curse us. We love it and we hate it. Stress is, as they
concept of change. Probably the most medically rigor-
say, the spice of life or the kiss of death.
ous defi nition is that stress is our physiologic adapta-
Change. We often think of stress as something
tress can kill us or it can save our lives. Stress
Most of us think that stress is a bad thing, and we
form our sentences exclusively around this meaning.
But, as suggested above, that idea is not quite right.
Stress can be bad or good. Most people believe that
stress causes illness. Yes, it does—but it also keeps us
healthy. There are rumors that too much stress can be
fatal, and indeed, it can—but a stress-free life is also fatal.
UNWINDING THE
C O NUN D RUM
If this sounds confusing, welcome to the majority.
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tion to change. Whenever we experience a change, no
matter how large or small, positive or negative, our
body reacts. The change itself is called the stressor ;
the reaction is called the stress response. All change
triggers this adaptive mechanism, and the body is
very good at it. Our capacity for change adaptation is
actually quite extraordinary.
If we were to have no change in our lives—no
challenge, no novelty, no deadline pressure, no
problems to solve—we would have no stress. But,
For all the high-decibel volume of our complaining,
for example, as soon as we assign a paper, that is a
there is a great deal of perplexity about the true nature
change. As soon as we collect an assigned paper, that
of stress. Let’s go to school on the subject.
is a change. As soon as we read the paper or assign
2010/2011 . CSE Volume 14 Number 1 . Keeping Our Balance in Stressful Seas
it a grade, that is another change. Returning papers
is called eustress. If a football team is losing by
to students, watching their reactions to the grades,
seven points with one minute to go, and they psyche
getting calls from parents—all are changes. In each
themselves up for an extraordinary effort and win,
instance, it is possible that the changes might have
it was eustress that enabled the victory. If a college
been positive. Nevertheless, they are stressors.
student pulls an all-nighter to fi nish a paper before the
I travel and speak a great deal. When I am going
deadline, it was eustress that allowed her to stay alert
to a new venue for a new organization and covering a
and productive through the long hours. Appropriate
new topic, my stress level can be high. But if I go back
eustress can increase our productivity, efficiency,
to that same venue the next year and cover the same
tenacity, and focus. In emergency situations, it can
topic, my stress level is cut by 80 percent. The setting,
give us the capacity to accomplish almost superhuman
the people, the organization, and the hotel are no
feats. And the benefits of eustress occur in our daily
longer new. The change factor is not nearly as large as
lives as well as in extraordinary circumstances. We
it was the previous year, and neither is the stress level.
seldom pause to realize what a gift God has given us.
Again, it makes no difference whether changes are
Bad stress. Bad stress is called distress. When
small, large, good, or bad—each is a stressor. Compare
we complain about how stressful a day was, we are
these: an ant crawling across the desk, an eagle crashing
really speaking of distress. Broken-down cars, unex-
into the classroom window, a fire in the school cafeteria,
pected medical bills, headaches and sleepless nights,
and the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes team
children acting out, insecure jobs, church confl ict,
fi nding you in third period and giving you a check for
budget cutbacks … need I continue?
$10 million. In each instance, the change is a stressor
How much stress do we need? If we have no stress
at all, we will die. If we have too little stress, we will
and will trigger at least some level of adaptation.
be bored. But if we have constant hyperstress, we
God’s role. God is responsible for our stress
mechanism. He designed and created it. The entire
will burn out. God has designed us for a range of
stressor-stress adaptive mechanism was His idea. God
tolerance in the middle, where we function optimally.
doesn’t make mistakes, and it’s best not to insult His
Unfortunately, hyperstress is becoming increasingly
creative wisdom. We should thank Him for the stress
prevalent.
response. Perhaps it helps and protects us in ways we
don’t always recognize.
MARKING THE
E PI D E M I C
Is there more stress in life today? Absolutely. We
Good stress. In many instances, we use the
are, in fact, directly in the middle of a stress epidemic.
stress response for positive effect. This type of stress
Stress has increased to hyperstress because change
has increased to hyperchange. The rate of change is
historically unprecedented. Progress works by giving
MOST OF US HAVE TOO
MUCH
C LUTTE R
—NOT
ONLY POSSESSIONS,
BUT ALSO DECISIONS,
CHOICES, COMMITMENTS,
us more and more of everything faster and faster, and
this includes more change and more stress. In many
ways, people’s stress response today is functioning all
the time and continuously increasing. This problem is
called stress acceleration.
To say we have more stress today doesn’t romanticize the past. Previous eras had much more tragedy,
destitution, and hardship than our current time
TECHNOLOGY, MEDIA,
does—but there was very little change. The problems
AND EXPECTATIONS.
and normalize such difficulties. This situation made for
were the same day after day, and people came to expect
hard living, but that is not the same as stressful living.
Keeping Our Balance in Stressful Seas . CSE Volume 14 Number 1 . 2010/2011
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Should we be concerned about the escalating
3. ENJOY RELAXING MUSIC. Music is like laugh-
levels of stress? Of course. Even children have much
ter—powerfully therapeutic but not completely
more stress than children in previous times did. Stress
understood. God created music, and it is clear we
is much like food or money or rest or work—either too
will enjoy it gloriously in heaven. But He has given us
much or too little can be harmful. We are designed for
the gift of music as a benefit on earth as well. Find out
a range in the middle.
what music works best for your own healing and
STR E S S
MANAGEMENT AND
STR E S S
enjoy it often.
REDUCTION
Some stoics say we should just stop whining,
OUR CAPACITY FOR CHANGE
accept stress as a fact of life, realize there is no going
ADAPTATION IS ACTUALLY
back to a less stressful era, and get back to work. That
might sound ideal to hyperproductive type-A person-
QUITE
alities, but for most it sounds like therapeutic nihilism.
E XTR A O R D I N A R Y .
Let’s examine some steps we can take in the direction
of both stress management and stress reduction, thus
4. SLOW DOWN. Consciously slow the pace of life.
guarding our all-important emotional, relational, and
Find the pace of faith and stay on it as much as
spiritual environments.
possible. At the end of our lives, we will discover
that hurrying was only a socially glorified form of
1. LEARN HOW TO RELAX. Most people today don’t
perspiration and a wonderful way to accumulate
have a clue how to be unbusy. Relaxation often makes
unnecessary stress. The green pastures and still
us feel guilty. But appropriate leisure is not evil, and
waters (Psalm 23:2, NKJV) are awaiting us—but not
we should not allow ourselves to be trapped in a false
in the direction the treadmill is spinning.
web of guilt. Relaxation is a time for relationships, for
mellowness, for healing, for appreciation of beauty—
and for decompressing the ill effects of stress.
5. DECREASE DEBT AND SPENDING. Debt-sponsored
spending is almost as common as breathing. Some
expenses are fi xed and unavoidable; others are quite
optional. If we are not disciplined, the pressure
MOST PEOPLE TODAY
DON’T HAVE A CLUE HOW
TO BE
U N B U S Y.
of servicing our debt will drive the entire train of
stress. Create a budget, cut up credit cards, stop
impulse buying, skip the malls, and scorn the ads.
6. PRACTICE RECONCILIATION. Unresolved confl ict, bitterness, and fractured relationships are
enormously stressful. The resultant illnesses are
2. LAUGH OFTEN. People who laugh readily heal
faster. Medical researchers are still not completely
sure why this happens, but it is a powerful force for
particularly expressed in the immune system,
cardiac disease, and mental health. So do yourself a
favor—obey the gospel and lessen your stress at the
same time: forgive.
healing. Young children laugh 15–20 times more
often than adults. My advice: follow a small child
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7. EXPERIENCE NATURE. Almost the entirety of our
around for 30 minutes a day and laugh every time
modern lives is spent indoors. When venturing out-
he or she does. You will experience less stress and
side, however, we discover a world of near-infi nite
less stress-induced illness in your life. It is little
beauty to settle our soul. For example, if we had to
wonder that Jesus commended the children!
pay rent for a sunset, we wouldn’t be able to afford
2010/2011 . CSE Volume 14 Number 1 . Keeping Our Balance in Stressful Seas
five minutes. Yet when God displays His glory in the
12. REFUSE TO WORRY. Worrying about tomorrow
prairies, mountains, rivers, forests, flowers, clouds,
not only violates Jesus’ command in Matthew 6:34,
and heavens, He does it all for free. And He does it
but it’s also a waste of time. Paul says we should
all for us.
not be anxious about anything, but instead we
should pray. If we do this, God will, in turn, guard
8. GET APPROPRIATE SLEEP, NUTRITION, AND
our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:6–7, NIV).
EXERCISE. Progress has improved our lives in
many ways, but not in these three essential areas.
13. LET GOD BE GOD. God is never confused. He
Because of electricity, we are sleep deprived.
never makes mistakes, and He’s never lost a battle
Because of affluence, we are over-nourished. And
(and isn’t about to start). God isn’t limited, isn’t on
because of technology, we are out of shape. It’s
medication, and isn’t up for election. And never
not easy to reverse these problems, but if we can
once, in all eternity, has He been stressed out.
reclaim God’s original plan for health, we will
discover a wonderful new world of stress resilience.
To know Him is to trust Him; to trust Him is to
rest in Him. So, what will it be—stress or rest?
9. SAY NO AND DEFEND BOUNDARIES. There are
dozens of reasons why no is a difficult word to say.
But today, saying no has become a mathematical
necessity. We have 30 hours’ worth of things to do
in every 24-hour day. Instead of sensibly saying
no to six hours’ worth of stuff, we multitask, we
shortchange our relationships, and we shorten our
Richard A. Swenson, MD, after a medical career in both private practice
and academic medicine, is currently a physician-researcher, a futurist,
an educator, and the author of seven books. In 2003 he was awarded
the Educator of the Year award by the Christian Medical and Dental
Associations. He lives in Menomonie, Wisconsin.
sleep. If we want less stress in our lives, perhaps we
should stiffen our boundaries and say no to nonpriority activities. Only in this way can we save our
strength for the things that matter most.
10. SIMPLIFY. Most of us have too much clutter—not
only possessions, but also decisions, choices, commitments, technology, media, and expectations.
Once this clutter begins to obstruct the flow of our
lives, stress results. Modifying our excesses can
help. If you have too much stuff, get rid of some.
It you watch too much television, turn it off. If
you eat too much food, stop. If you have too much
debt, quit shopping. Hebrews 12:1 (NIV) tells us to
throw off everything that hinders us.
11. LET FAMILY AND FRIENDS HELP. God gave
us to each other for positive purposes. He is a good
God, and He gives only good gifts to His children.
The stressful facets of human interaction are not His
intention or His fault. When we love and care for one
another according to the Father’s plan, we find both
healing and protection from the damage of stress.
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